Lesson Overview
This lesson will be on punnett squares and how they work and can be analyzed. They will work on an aray of worksheets that will build in diffitulty to help them to understand the major points of punnett squares.
Learning Performances
The students will be able to create and analyze punnett squares, give percentages and explain how and why genes are expressed.
Instructional Sequence
Introducing the lesson
In this lesson we will start off by talking about Mendel and his pea plants once again. Asking them Why meiosis is important?, and What does meiosis do? They should answer with talking about splitting of genetic information, and traits.
Instructional Activities
Throughout this lesson the students will be doing an array of worksheets, activities, and labs that will put in effect all of the information that has been taught to them. The first worksheet (punnett square ref) is to explain to them how a punnett square works. I will pass this out and explain to them how it works very slowly explain each step. This is more of a reference sheet for them. It goes through and shows how they are set up and how they work. They will keep on going through punnett square worksheets till they can do them in their sleep. The next worksheet will have two different scenarios with the alleles given to them and they have to explain how the percentages are the way they are. They will work on this one alone then I will give them time to discuss with there bench partner, then I will go over it with the whole class. They will be given a few punnett square problems for homework where the next class I will collect the homework and while they are working on the next days assignment I will check them and see what they are having trouble with if any.
This day will be a probability lab. This is lab #1. This lab will have the students working with flipping a coin to figure out the probabilty of traits being expressed. In working with the students I notice that they have a lot of problems with math and I am hoping that this activity will help them understand this concept at hand. I will explain the lab and give a quick demonstration on how it works. While they are working on this I will be walking around the classroom making sure everyone is working and looking for any problems. By the end of the period I will ask who is not done and either assign the analysis questions for homework or if everyone had finished them have them hand them into me before they leave.
The next day assignment that they are working on is the Sponge Bob genetic sheet. I will start off by asking them, How many of you have watched the cartoon Spong Bob? I found this on-line and thought I would be fun and help them connect a tv show that they might have seen to punnett squares. This worksheet is self explanatory so they shouldn’t have any questions for me and this will allow me to correct their homework to see where there might be a problem area in the class. I will have them work on this worksheet alone at first then after about 10 to 15 min let them work in pairs (their desks are lab benches so with the person they sit next to) to help each other out and learn from one another. After about another 10 to 15 min I will bring them back together and go over the worksheet. I will start off with one student and go in order up and down the rows have the students answer all the questions. By doing this it will give students who never talk or don't have a chance to talk to be able to talk and explain their answer. After this I will pass back and go over the homework problems that the students had problems with. I will let them know that the next class period that they will be having a short quize on everything that they have learned so far.
The quiz is the punnett square and probability activity. It has 17 questions and 3 bonus questions for the students. It is very basic where they will be doing punnett square and figuring out the probability of certain situations. This is very much like the work that they have been doing. This will help me see how they are understanding the topics at hand. I also want direct feed back so I will have the students grade each others' work. by having them hand them into me then me pass them back out. I will go through them and write down the grades then go through them in detail and answer as many questions as time allows me to. For homework they will have a second Sponge Bob worksheet to work on.
The next day activity is an inquiry activity. I will give the students a list of different human traits and what is dominant and what is recessive. The students will be paired up in their lab groups. They will have to look at each others traits to figure out their own genotype. After they have gone through all the traits they will have to make up a punnett square for each trait as if they were having an offspring with each other. After doing all the punnett squares they will have to find out all the phenotypes percentages and draw a picture of their offspring with all the different traits. They will also have to write a short paper on their offspring. Describing its’ traits and why and how they got the results that they did.
After I know that the students have a strong grasp on this concept I will go over independent assortment. I will start off with the question, Now what do you think will happen if the gene for eye color is linked to the gene for tallness (BBTT)? Do you think they will have an effect on each other? So let cross (BBTT) with (bbtt), make a punnett square and look at your results. After they had time to work on it and come up with their own results I will go into instruction telling them that it doesn’t make a difference if they are liked together just look at each on independently. Then I will do the punnett square on the board to make sure they understand it. Then I will give out a hand out that has them do a few punnett squares like this. They have done plenty of worksheet like this one already and have no problems working on it.
Concluding the Lesson
The main idea of all of this is with dominant and recessive traits there are different percentages of chance for the offspring of different organisms to have different traits then their parents. You can show this by working them out in punnett squares.
Assessing Student Understanding
I will be assessing the students by their homework that they will be handing in as well as their in class activities. I will be looking at a lot of their work to make sure that they understand all the concepts at hand.
Cautions
When doing the inquiry activity with students at this age level, some of the students will make a big deal and/or get rowdy when the pairing come up and two males students have to work together and pretend that they are have an offspring together. I will have to make sure that they don’t drag this out for to long and keep them on task.
Sources
Miller, Kenneth and Joseph Levine (2002). Biology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Solomon, Eldra, Linda Berg and Diana Matin (2005). Biology Seveth Edition. Belmont, Ca: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
Trimpe, Tracy (1999). The Science Spot. Retrieved December 7, 2007, Web site: http://sciencespot.net/
Rationale
When it comes down to punnett square the best way to learn about them is to keep on practicing them. The more times you read the problem and think/work them out the better the students will become at them. I will be starting off very basic and keep on upping the difficulty leave as they complete until they are work on problems at a high level. It is very important that they understand punnett square because this is not going to be the last time that they see them.
Grade Level: 10
Course: Biology
Lesson Overview
This lesson will be on punnett squares and how they work and can be analyzed. They will work on an aray of worksheets that will build in diffitulty to help them to understand the major points of punnett squares.
Learning Performances
The students will be able to create and analyze punnett squares, give percentages and explain how and why genes are expressed.
Links to Standards or Benchmarks
Dan Wilson - Learning Goal Analysis
Materials Needed
Worksheets
Time Required
About 3-4 class periods
Instructional Sequence
Introducing the lesson
In this lesson we will start off by talking about Mendel and his pea plants once again. Asking them Why meiosis is important?, and What does meiosis do? They should answer with talking about splitting of genetic information, and traits.
Instructional Activities
Throughout this lesson the students will be doing an array of worksheets, activities, and labs that will put in effect all of the information that has been taught to them. The first worksheet (punnett square ref) is to explain to them how a punnett square works. I will pass this out and explain to them how it works very slowly explain each step. This is more of a reference sheet for them. It goes through and shows how they are set up and how they work. They will keep on going through punnett square worksheets till they can do them in their sleep. The next worksheet will have two different scenarios with the alleles given to them and they have to explain how the percentages are the way they are. They will work on this one alone then I will give them time to discuss with there bench partner, then I will go over it with the whole class. They will be given a few punnett square problems for homework where the next class I will collect the homework and while they are working on the next days assignment I will check them and see what they are having trouble with if any.
This day will be a probability lab. This is lab #1. This lab will have the students working with flipping a coin to figure out the probabilty of traits being expressed. In working with the students I notice that they have a lot of problems with math and I am hoping that this activity will help them understand this concept at hand. I will explain the lab and give a quick demonstration on how it works. While they are working on this I will be walking around the classroom making sure everyone is working and looking for any problems. By the end of the period I will ask who is not done and either assign the analysis questions for homework or if everyone had finished them have them hand them into me before they leave.
The next day assignment that they are working on is the Sponge Bob genetic sheet. I will start off by asking them, How many of you have watched the cartoon Spong Bob? I found this on-line and thought I would be fun and help them connect a tv show that they might have seen to punnett squares. This worksheet is self explanatory so they shouldn’t have any questions for me and this will allow me to correct their homework to see where there might be a problem area in the class. I will have them work on this worksheet alone at first then after about 10 to 15 min let them work in pairs (their desks are lab benches so with the person they sit next to) to help each other out and learn from one another. After about another 10 to 15 min I will bring them back together and go over the worksheet. I will start off with one student and go in order up and down the rows have the students answer all the questions. By doing this it will give students who never talk or don't have a chance to talk to be able to talk and explain their answer. After this I will pass back and go over the homework problems that the students had problems with. I will let them know that the next class period that they will be having a short quize on everything that they have learned so far.
The quiz is the punnett square and probability activity. It has 17 questions and 3 bonus questions for the students. It is very basic where they will be doing punnett square and figuring out the probability of certain situations. This is very much like the work that they have been doing. This will help me see how they are understanding the topics at hand. I also want direct feed back so I will have the students grade each others' work. by having them hand them into me then me pass them back out. I will go through them and write down the grades then go through them in detail and answer as many questions as time allows me to. For homework they will have a second Sponge Bob worksheet to work on.
The next day activity is an inquiry activity. I will give the students a list of different human traits and what is dominant and what is recessive. The students will be paired up in their lab groups. They will have to look at each others traits to figure out their own genotype. After they have gone through all the traits they will have to make up a punnett square for each trait as if they were having an offspring with each other. After doing all the punnett squares they will have to find out all the phenotypes percentages and draw a picture of their offspring with all the different traits. They will also have to write a short paper on their offspring. Describing its’ traits and why and how they got the results that they did.
After I know that the students have a strong grasp on this concept I will go over independent assortment. I will start off with the question, Now what do you think will happen if the gene for eye color is linked to the gene for tallness (BBTT)? Do you think they will have an effect on each other? So let cross (BBTT) with (bbtt), make a punnett square and look at your results. After they had time to work on it and come up with their own results I will go into instruction telling them that it doesn’t make a difference if they are liked together just look at each on independently. Then I will do the punnett square on the board to make sure they understand it. Then I will give out a hand out that has them do a few punnett squares like this. They have done plenty of worksheet like this one already and have no problems working on it.
Concluding the Lesson
The main idea of all of this is with dominant and recessive traits there are different percentages of chance for the offspring of different organisms to have different traits then their parents. You can show this by working them out in punnett squares.
Assessing Student Understanding
I will be assessing the students by their homework that they will be handing in as well as their in class activities. I will be looking at a lot of their work to make sure that they understand all the concepts at hand.
Cautions
When doing the inquiry activity with students at this age level, some of the students will make a big deal and/or get rowdy when the pairing come up and two males students have to work together and pretend that they are have an offspring together. I will have to make sure that they don’t drag this out for to long and keep them on task.
Sources
Miller, Kenneth and Joseph Levine (2002). Biology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Solomon, Eldra, Linda Berg and Diana Matin (2005). Biology Seveth Edition. Belmont, Ca: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
Trimpe, Tracy (1999). The Science Spot. Retrieved December 7, 2007, Web site: http://sciencespot.net/
Teaching Resources
punnett square ref
punnett square 1
punnett square 2
punnett square 3
punnett square lab 1
punnett square lab 2
spongebob worksheet
spongebob worksheet 2
Rationale
When it comes down to punnett square the best way to learn about them is to keep on practicing them. The more times you read the problem and think/work them out the better the students will become at them. I will be starting off very basic and keep on upping the difficulty leave as they complete until they are work on problems at a high level. It is very important that they understand punnett square because this is not going to be the last time that they see them.